I'm against trading for Pau. He's got a good 2 years left and then what? I still wanna add players on the right side of 30 that allows us to be contenders longterm instead of those wholl impact the team for a season or so then retire. No to Pau and Garnett etc.

I would argue that I dislike Bargnani more than you do. However, having said that, the penalties for luxury tax teams next year is so punitive that people are going to think twice about their wishes in getting Gasol. Gay was a good acquisition on the cheap (trade-wise) but is a costly one financially. I know it's not my money but Gasol doesn't make much sense at this point. Adding Gay to the core makes sense. Gasol isn't a part of such core.

If the Raps are a .500 team, I'd understand if they needed that "push" but at this point, the team cannot compromise their financial positions further. I joked about Gasol with Matt52 but in reality, I wouldn't want a Gasol in the mix. Bargnani is best served off the bench. Build his confidence back and perhaps next year he can be showcased further. Just my 2 cents.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

I'm against trading for Pau. He's got a good 2 years left and then what? I still wanna add players on the right side of 30 that allows us to be contenders longterm instead of those wholl impact the team for a season or so then retire. No to Pau and Garnett etc.

i think the case for Gasol goes like this: while he may only be here till his contract runs out he will be a Legit post presence & mentor for Jonas.. by the time Gasol moves on the hope would be that Jonas will be ready by then to take over & dominate & i think he will.. in the mean time though he learns from Gasol & backs him up at the 5 so gasol doesnt have to log 35+ minutes everynight, that in itself is enough of a reason, add in the fact wed be ridding ourselves of Bargs & its a no brainer..

i think the case for Gasol goes like this: while he may only be here till his contract runs out he will be a Legit post presence & mentor for Jonas.. by the time Gasol moves on the hope would be that Jonas will be ready by then to take over & dominate & i think he will.. in the mean time though he learns from Gasol & backs him up at the 5 so gasol doesnt have to log 35+ minutes everynight, that in itself is enough of a reason, add in the fact wed be ridding ourselves of Bargs & its a no brainer..

This is still contingent upon Lakers agreeing to letting go of Gasol. Howard's out and could be gone for some time. If the Lakers get re-assurances from Dwight that he will re-sign with the Lakers provided Gasol is traded, then I see it happening immediately. D'Antoni loves his big to be mobile and can shoot from the perimeter. Bargs should be a fit (please see Earl Clark's re-emergence). The bottom line is that the Lakers cannot afford to keep Gasol, re-sign Howard. Period.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

This just hit me while washing dishes. Haven't you noticed that Gray's involvement on offence seems more prominent. I mean, at times, he's set above the key or the first big to touch the ball and then initiate the offence that way (Sabonis made a career out of this). I just notice this lately because of how some plays are starting off with Gray in the mix to initiate movement. It seems as if this is the kind of offence that would take place if Gasol is here. Is it possible that they're already working around (with this system) as a means to prepare the team for Gasol's eventual role in this team? Is it possible that a verbal agreement has been reached and that the Lakers are just waiting to see how Bargs is? I'm theorizing this because I've seen about 7 - 8 games with the Lakers on TV and I'm noticing that Gasol does the same thing with the Lakers.

Please note: I've only noticed this after the departure of Calderon so maybe it's just me. I'll be watching another Laker game very soon and will be observing Gasol's role in the offence. Again, call me crazy.

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.” - Martin Luther King

This just hit me while washing dishes. Haven't you noticed that Gray's involvement on offence seems more prominent. I mean, at times, he's set above the key or the first big to touch the ball and then initiate the offence that way (Sabonis made a career out of this). I just notice this lately because of how some plays are starting off with Gray in the mix to initiate movement. It seems as if this is the kind of offence that would take place if Gasol is here. Is it possible that they're already working around (with this system) as a means to prepare the team for Gasol's eventual role in this team? Is it possible that a verbal agreement has been reached and that the Lakers are just waiting to see how Bargs is? I'm theorizing this because I've seen about 7 - 8 games with the Lakers on TV and I'm noticing that Gasol does the same thing with the Lakers.

Please note: I've only noticed this after the departure of Calderon so maybe it's just me. I'll be watching another Laker game very soon and will be observing Gasol's role in the offence. Again, call me crazy.

gasol has always been used like this. He is a great passer, great mid range shot, and good down low. Hence, why I think he would fit great here. As far-fetched as it may seem, I hope u are right

This just hit me while washing dishes. Haven't you noticed that Gray's involvement on offence seems more prominent. I mean, at times, he's set above the key or the first big to touch the ball and then initiate the offence that way (Sabonis made a career out of this). I just notice this lately because of how some plays are starting off with Gray in the mix to initiate movement. It seems as if this is the kind of offence that would take place if Gasol is here. Is it possible that they're already working around (with this system) as a means to prepare the team for Gasol's eventual role in this team? Is it possible that a verbal agreement has been reached and that the Lakers are just waiting to see how Bargs is? I'm theorizing this because I've seen about 7 - 8 games with the Lakers on TV and I'm noticing that Gasol does the same thing with the Lakers.

Please note: I've only noticed this after the departure of Calderon so maybe it's just me. I'll be watching another Laker game very soon and will be observing Gasol's role in the offence. Again, call me crazy.

i wouldnt call it crazy, far fetched maybe but not crazy... Gasol has always done this with LA, Triangle offence i think..Gray could be added to a package for Gasol too maybe?

Can we please stop calling expiring contracts huge trade chips? Weve seen here what expiring contracts get you over the last few years .. and the answer is not much. Ya, Jose's contract helped make the $ work in the Ed trade .. but an expiring contract in and of itself is not nearly the "trade chip" that it was a few years back. It essentially allows you to take on an overpriced player with longer years on his deal than your guys. But the reality is, many teams could have come up with a package for Gay that worked salary wise .. joses contract wasnt much of a differentiator ..

Can we please stop calling expiring contracts huge trade chips? Weve seen here what expiring contracts get you over the last few years .. and the answer is not much. Ya, Jose's contract helped make the $ work in the Ed trade .. but an expiring contract in and of itself is not nearly the "trade chip" that it was a few years back. It essentially allows you to take on an overpriced player with longer years on his deal than your guys. But the reality is, many teams could have come up with a package for Gay that worked salary wise .. joses contract wasnt much of a differentiator ..

There was a time when an expiring contract was very valuable. I agree the last few years they have not been worth too much.

In the Gay trade Jose's contract was a big deal. It saved both Memphis and the 3rd team, Detroit, a LOT of money each.

It will be interesting to see if real value returns with the new super tax coming in for next year and if players involved become more than overpaid deadweight. I see a future where teams are going to have shorter opportunities for contention and more frequent/shorter rebuilding to contention cycles.

i think the case for Gasol goes like this: while he may only be here till his contract runs out he will be a Legit post presence & mentor for Jonas.. by the time Gasol moves on the hope would be that Jonas will be ready by then to take over & dominate & i think he will.. in the mean time though he learns from Gasol & backs him up at the 5 so gasol doesnt have to log 35+ minutes everynight, that in itself is enough of a reason, add in the fact wed be ridding ourselves of Bargs & its a no brainer..

And another part of the plan that I haven't seen anyone mention is that at the end of next season when Gasol moves on, Lowry's contract is up and he'll be a free agent. We could really use that 19 million dollars of Gasol's expring contract to re-sign Lowry to a bigger deal and maybe add another mid-level piece.

I voted yes on this poll because since we now have Rudy Gay, we may as well go for whatever glory is attainable. Rebuilding is over, it's time to win soon and Gasol can help us get to the promised land that is the 8th seed. Do it, but with what assets? We arguably traded our best asset in Davis, and it's upto Bargnani to fetch value. I don't think he has any, which means picks must be traded!